Unveiling the Magic of Community Celebrations: A Chat with Pattie Lambert - S3E15

Imagine unearthing a heartwarming tradition right in your neighborhood that not only brings everyone together but also introduces a whole new level of camaraderie! That's precisely what Pattie Lambert achieved with 'Wine on the Wall,' a delightful community event that initiated as a casual Friday night gathering in her neighborhood. From reminiscing about the humble beginnings to discussing the growth and impact of the gathering, Patty and I paint a vivid picture of this unique celebration. It’s a feel-good episode that showcases the power of community, shared experiences, and yes, a good bottle of wine!

Dive deeper into the significance of community connections as Pattie and I open up about our experiences building relationships within our neighborhoods. The strength of a community lies in its bonds, and we emphasize how simple acts of connectivity can foster a supportive environment. Whether it’s a conventional setting or a cul-de-sac, every connection counts, and every shared experience brings us closer. It's an episode that genuinely celebrates the power of collaboration and unity among neighbors.

Lastly, we lift the curtain on some unforgettable neighborhood celebrations, demonstrating how these shared experiences further solidify community ties. Patty shares the creative ways they managed to keep the 'Wine on the Wall' tradition alive amidst a global pandemic, serving as an anchor in challenging times. The evolution of community communication also takes center stage as we highlight the importance of being there for one another. Patty's captivating tale of communal solidarity and friendship is every bit inspiring. So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage, get cozy, and join us for an episode that truly highlights the beauty of community living!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Hey, I'm Coach Mickey and I'm so glad that you've joined us today, and if this is your first time joining us, come on in and make yourself comfortable, and for those of you my circle of friends who join us on a regular basis, I'm so glad that you do. Thank you so much for always reaching out to my guests and supporting them and asking your comments, your questions and your suggestions of who you'd like to have or hear on. Coach Mickey and friends. It has been so much fun and I'm really excited to have this person on today and this is just going to be a good time. This is just going to be fun. I had an opportunity to meet this woman multiple times through multiple events. We've never really had an opportunity to share and connect until recently, and she is a plethora of stories, she's fun and I just felt we really needed to have someone like her on today's podcast to share a little little insight, a little love and a little inspiration. So thank you so much for joining me today. Patty Lambert, how are you?

Speaker 2: 1:18

I'm good. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:21

I'm really excited to have you today. I mean, we have a mutual friend and some of you have heard her on my podcast before and my YouTube channel, jodi Moncrief and Patty, is a mutual friend, a more friend with Jodi, but she has spoke so highly of you and she said you have got to have this gal on your podcast. So thank you so much for taking the time today to be with us. Thank you, so you said you had something you wanted to share that was really kind of unique and different, that transpired within your community.

Speaker 2: 1:57

Yes, it's called Wine on the Wall. It is a ton of fun. It's a beautiful way to bring people together and get them connected, and it all started with one woman who happened to move here from back east with her family. She had two sons and a husband and two dogs at the time and you know they? They were just so warm and welcoming.

Speaker 2: 2:24

And we already had a great neighborhood that was very warm and welcoming, but they just really enhanced it and took it to a new level. So when they were new, she would go out and sit on her brick wall with a glass of wine and, you know, just meet people. And it started with two. Her other neighbor started with two ladies, grew to three and eventually the whole neighborhood was down there and you take your dogs and everything and as a Friday night thing we'd have a in the winter months, cooler we would have a pit fire and, yeah, it was all safe. But we had a variety of characters at this. We have a project manager, we had a teacher, we had a bondsman, we had a fireman of course, you know we had the fire pit, so we had to have him and a couple retirees I was there myself and you know I have my own business as well as people would just walk up on the neighborhood and say what a cool thing to do. And what that did was that created such a beautiful vibe and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. You felt like you could go up to anybody's door at any time if you needed help or needed to borrow something. You just had that warmth about the whole neighborhood and it was really encompassed mainly six houses, and you know, we're all different, we all have different ways of thought, but just the fact that we all got together and communicated such diverse personalities, we all were to get together and have such a good time, which turned into potlucks, celebrations on holidays, like 4th of July, where you'd play Cornhole and Barbecue and all that wonderful stuff to winter, progressive parties at the holidays and a white elephant party, which kind of got wild sometimes, which is kind of crazy. We had GIF show up, everything from a plunger you know, yes, a toilet plunge, I just did say that to crazy board games and crazy mugs, I mean, and just really created an atmosphere of in the world where so many crazy things go on, you didn't even know anything else was going on. It was such a fun time and such a good place to be Warm, welcoming, exciting. We'd share our weekly stories. You did not have to drink wine, by the way. You could have a soda, iced tea, beer, martini, whatever your fancy was. You know celebrated birthdays, so we got a birthday list going. Everybody knew everybody's dog. It was just a really, really warm, inviting atmosphere for all of us, something we all enjoyed and something we still do.

Speaker 2: 5:15

That family was here. That family left last June, which was really, you know, sad for all of us, but it does carry on and they just created something that we will have a lifetime of memories and just good feelings about, you know, and all of us, and we are still in contact with those people. That's what a great thing it did for us. We still are in contact with them. They have moved back to Virginia. Because of his job he moved around a lot, but you know what a wonderful thing. So we want to go to Virginia. We've got a place to go and stay. They want to come here. They have a place to stay.

Speaker 2: 5:53

It was just that kind of friendship and bonding and they all had. We don't have kids, but you know, most of the people did have kids, so the kids were there and it was great for them. And a variety of ages, everything from started with a five year old up to a 21 year old and, of course, they've all grown up since then. I don't know why, you know. I mean, they just have to do that I guess, but.

Speaker 1: 6:17

Yeah, kids are notorious for that.

Speaker 2: 6:20

Yes, they're so cute when they're little. I don't mean they're not when they get big, but you know they're different. They come up and, yes, they come up and hug you. When they're little they're happy to see you. So it just really just created such a beautiful feeling and fun and we had some crazy things happen. We actually had someone calls about the pit fire one day, so we had the fire department come and lo and behold our farm and knew everybody. That was kind of funny. That was fun.

Speaker 2: 6:53

And what was great about it is we were able to carry this on through COVID, which was really wonderful because it gave us all a place to go. Yes, we spaced our chairs. Yes, we wore masks when we had to. If one of us wasn't feeling well or we had a couple of COVIDs, they didn't show up. But even a couple of times, when enough people didn't have COVIDs, we would do Zoom calls for wine on the wall. Yeah, we would do a Zoom and you could see everybody's face and talk. And what was funny about that is everybody picked a different background. One guy had the mountains, one guy had the beach, one person had sunflowers. You know, Mine was my messy office.

Speaker 2: 7:35

I mean it was just. You just kept it real. Mine was real. Yes, this is the reality of my life, but just, you know, even though all that happened, you know the, the bond that it created and built amongst all of us and the comfort you know when somebody's power would pass away, it was like tragic for all of us, not just the family, everybody you know. So we would all get together and you know, console them and help them as best you can. You know losing a pet's just like losing, as losing, literally losing a family member to most of us in the group anyway.

Speaker 2: 8:14

So, no, I agree with that. I agree with that, yeah, yeah. So just, you know, just a wonderful vibe and we all still have a good time. We do miss them and it's just what. I highly recommend getting this going in your own neighborhood. You do not need a wall Now that they are gone.

Speaker 2: 8:34

Someone else has moved in there. It's a bunch of young boys. I don't really think they want to be bothered by us, but we do it in a driveway. Sometimes we drew it in our backyard. We do it in the other neighbor's backyard. One neighbor's got a great front yard for it, so now we just move it around.

Speaker 2: 8:50

The reason it stayed at the wall was because the original founder of it had two small children and didn't want to leave them, you know, home alone, so they could come out, she could go in and check on them, or they could come out and hang with us which they did a lot and they would come out and after about 30 minutes they'd be tired and they'd go to bed. You know we wore little kids out, believe it or not, so that was kind of fun, but just what a great way to build your neighborhood. You know, what a great way to build those relationships and take away all the prejudices and preconceived ideas of who's living next to you, which I mean I don't think everybody does that but it's very easy to get caught up in your own world and move in and say, oh, I don't know who lives there. You know, this is the car they drive and this is what I see them do every day when I'm out. You know, it took all that away and made us all human and real people, which I thought was really a great thing to do. That's just my opinion, but I do think that was a great thing to do. So if you're in a situation where you can do a wine on the wall or a soda on the wall or whatever the case may be, you don't have to do it every week. We did, you know, make it a monthly thing or something.

Speaker 2: 10:09

But my strong suggestion is get to know your neighbors, get to know your community, get to know the people you're around. Doesn't matter. You know where they went to school or what they do for a living. Everybody matters. You know everybody's got a story and everyone matters because at the end of the day, you might need one of them for something, you might need a ride. You might need help, you might need who knows. You know you might want to just socialize with someone. It's wonderful, we can all socialize what you thought are not just at one on the wall. But you know, during the week we have a teacher. We can visit with her during the summer whenever we want. We're always sad when the summer comes to end because she loses some of her free time. Just, you know, it's just. It's just a good, good, good feeling to be in a neighborhood like that that's.

Speaker 1: 10:59

It's really. That's really inspiring. I'm very lucky because I moved into a neighborhood that's a cul-de-sac and I've never lived on a cul-de-sac and I wish I had done this earlier, when my son was younger, because there are so many kids here and they're always out building ramps and riding their bikes and doing stuff together. But one of the things that is really neat I've got a lot of small children that are that are in couple of the houses that surround me and the families take turns Putting up a Disney movie up on their garage door and they have all the chairs out there and some of them put out like the blow-up mattresses and They've got the snacks and all the kids come over and they watch a movie on on the garage door and it is the coolest thing and every time I see it across the street just melts my heart because they're so precious. You know, and I've gotten to know my neighbors and you know they're kids, they always see my talk, so they're always calling for or I, and I don't know why it is Patty, but this is so funny. I've got One, two, three, three different neighbors that have got three different dogs. That all whenever my front door is open because it's been really nice and I've had the, the doors open, the windows open, they run into my house. As soon as they come into my house and they, my neighbors crack up. They're like what is it? And I'm, you know, I'm just working on my computer, I'm in my office and I'll look down and there's my neighbor from across the streets dog, and he's next to me and then I'll, you know, another day later I've got another one that's running through the house, that comes in and grabs a toy and then runs through my office and I just have to laugh because every time I turn around I've got another animal in my house, at somebody else's. But it cracks me up. But they're, they're wonderful people and you're right, I would have, would have never gotten to know them unless I reached out.

Speaker 1: 12:47

You know you move in as the new person and these people have lived here, you know, for many, many years, and even the neighbors across the street just bought the house and I knew the people that sold the house and she was actually a chef and she moved on to Arizona and then another family moved in and they're great and you're right, it doesn't take much, but you just go out and and say, hi, you know, or you know, hey, if you need something, you know, I've got an elderly lady that lives next door to me and she's got fruit trees that are always in abundance. Well, she said to me she goes, anything that grows on your side of the fence is yours. So I've had that, I've picked grapes, I've picked apples, I've picked pomegranates, lemons and it's. You know, actually the apples. I picked a bunch of apples and I made into two pies, I took her one, but you know I you're right, it doesn't take much To collaborate with your neighbors and you don't have to live in a housing development to do it.

Speaker 1: 13:41

I mean, even if you live on a long street, I guarantee there's, like you know, even the two people to your right and the two people to the left. You know you could get, get to know them, what, what a wonderful thing that was started and and to learn and to grow, and only that to share, just being human, you know, just being human beings and being able to collaborate with each other and and just enjoying life. I mean, that is that is so neat. And you said, you guys still do this, you still Do this, even though they've they've gone. You know, they've moved back to we yes, we still do it.

Speaker 2: 14:18

As a matter of fact, we are having a birthday party for the white lab next door, name rifle, today. I love it and I have been collecting tennis balls for him. We're going to load up our pool with the tennis balls, because this is his dream come true a Pool full of tennis balls. So he's got a little brother, ruger, and an older sister, river. They will all come over. But you know we open our house up to the neighbors to come over and swim whenever they would like. They need to let us know so we know they're going to be there, because you don't want to come home and be like who's in the house.

Speaker 1: 14:59

But it's so kind of you, patty, I mean, that is just so kind of you.

Speaker 2: 15:03

It's great they come over. And today is Rifles Big Day. I've got bags and bags of balls. I've been collecting for months and I don't know if I have quite 300, but I have at least 100, maybe two, and it will not fill the pool, but it will make his dream come true. I know that. So that's one of the things we do.

Speaker 2: 15:22

And we have this one floaty. That's a little boy across the street. This is how time flies. He gave me this floaty. He must have been maybe oh gosh, he's 17. We've been here, so he was probably about 10 years old. Gave me this. It was such a big deal and it had a name on the back and it was called Chad. So I said, oh, thank you. So I put Chad in the pool. He was so excited. That is the only floaty that has survived in this pool through rain, through wind. I think all the rest are out in the street somewhere. But Chad has never left us and we've all agreed that when Chad finally deflates and goes to that floaty in the sky, that we're going to have a burial at pool for him.

Speaker 2: 16:06

So that's the kind of neighborhood it is. I mean, we celebrate things, we get together. If I have to go out of town, I'm very comfortable because I know if my husband needs something he's got people to hang out with. He's not that he wouldn't anyway, but I mean they're next door, they're going to come over and socialize with them. They will call him up and say come on over, we'll feed you. It's just wonderful.

Speaker 2: 16:32

Our one neighbor's next door have us over for Thanksgiving. Every year she cooks this turkey that looks like something out of home and garden. Not only is it good and looks beautiful, it's decorated to the nines. So I mean, just that's the kind of place that we live in which is so nice and so warming and so comfortable, and just yeah, so we just move it around. Now it happens Our neighbors across the street, because they have a huge driveway, they tend to host it a lot because they have room for the bonfire. We don't do the bonfire in our yard because we have things that could get torched. That would not be good, even with a farm, and that would not be good. But they do come over and we have fun and when they come to our house, they can get in the jacuzzi.

Speaker 2: 17:24

When we do it across the street, it's more of the traditional. When we do it next door, it's out in front and they have a fire pit, so we can do the fire pit. It's just nice. So, whether it's in a driveway or a yard or wherever it may be, anybody can do this anywhere. It's just a great bonding experience to have Our one neighbor on the one side of us.

Speaker 2: 17:48

Every year on Halloween we show a spooky movie and give out Halloween candy. So we all take our bags of Halloween candy over there and let the kids take what they want. We don't watch them, we just go, just help yourself. There's so much candy out there. We never get rid of it all ever. Even with them taking gobs and gobs of handfuls which we don't care about, we still have some left at the end of the night. And this year I don't know if you've seen it, but those used for a share of chocolates wrapped in foil.

Speaker 2: 18:21

There was a guy pulling a stunt where he was taking the chocolates out and putting Brussels sprouts in them. Yeah, my husband wants to do that. He thinks that's funny. So does everybody else. I don't know if I would think that's funny as a kid to open it up and see this green sprout Probably not. That's the kind of kookiness that they do on this, I mean. And they have. The men have their own little texting thing called local bros. The women not so much, because we'll just chat, chat, chat, but we have a feed now with every neighbor on it, so we alert one another when something's going on. It's it's great for security, because I have, I've been at work and I've Gotten text from my neighbor hey, someone in a red trucks in front of your house, and I'll text them back and I think that's okay, that's the repair guy for this. And like, okay, should I go over and look? I go, yeah, go check and see what he's doing.

Speaker 1: 19:19

That's really nice, it's not. It's nice to have that because, you're right, it takes it to one more level, you know yes.

Speaker 1: 19:24

And you know, especially if someone's gonna be out of town, that you're kind of watching. It's the same thing like across the street. I have a couple of them that actually have campers and they're gone. You know they'll take off and go, and I know when they're gone, you know because they'll say, hey, I'm gonna be gone for a couple days, and you're right. You know it's kind of nice to be able to have, you know, knowing somebody's looking out for your place. Same thing for me.

Speaker 1: 19:47

If I'm gone, you know, and I travel while I was traveling quite a bit, or if I'm gone for like a weekend or a week, you know it's kind of nice to say I'm gonna be gone. Can you guys keep an eye on my house? So that's, that's wonderful, you know, to be able to do that and collaborate and come, you know, come together and Just kind of be more than just friends. You know you guys are watching out for each other. How many families do you think you guys have? I mean, how many families actually? I do what you know together, come together with you In your name.

Speaker 2: 20:16

Well, you know it has grown but there are still the. There are still five main families because the six one move. But we have connected with other people down at the other end of the neighborhood now and those women have started a what's up group and that is great because we we communicate with everybody and it's become a huge community. We still just are still just basically the five houses that are one on the wall, people.